U.S. patent number 6,891,113 [Application Number 10/673,315] was granted by the patent office on 2005-05-10 for balance with cable storage compartment.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Mettler-Toledo GmbH. Invention is credited to Eduard Fringeli, Paul Luchinger.
United States Patent |
6,891,113 |
Fringeli , et al. |
May 10, 2005 |
Balance with cable storage compartment
Abstract
A balance is connectable to a display/operating unit (13)
through a cable (14). The display/operating unit (13) can be placed
either adjacent to the housing (1) or at a distance from the
housing (1). For storing the unused length of cable (14), a
corridor compartment (24) with at least one exit opening (22, 29,
30) for the cable (14) is arranged at the bottom (6) of the balance
housing (1). When the cable (14) is pulled out or pushed in, it can
move freely inside the corridor compartment (24). The
display/operating unit (13) is held in place at the balance housing
(1) by means of an intermediate member (10) in an arrangement where
the balance and the display/operating unit are resting
independently of each other on a supporting surface.
Inventors: |
Fringeli; Eduard (Bubikon,
CH), Luchinger; Paul (Uster, CH) |
Assignee: |
Mettler-Toledo GmbH
(Greifensee, CH)
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Family
ID: |
7679686 |
Appl.
No.: |
10/673,315 |
Filed: |
September 29, 2003 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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PCTIB0200812 |
Mar 20, 2002 |
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Foreign Application Priority Data
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Mar 29, 2001 [DE] |
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101 15 788 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
177/238 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65H
75/362 (20130101); G01G 21/283 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65H
75/34 (20060101); B65H 75/36 (20060101); G01G
21/28 (20060101); G01G 21/00 (20060101); G01G
021/28 () |
Field of
Search: |
;177/180-181,238-244 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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78 13 781 |
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Aug 1978 |
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DE |
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84 01 333 |
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Jan 1984 |
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DE |
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59133179 |
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Jul 1984 |
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JP |
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Primary Examiner: Gibson; Randy W.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Standley Law Group LLP
Parent Case Text
This application is a Continuation of prior application No.:
PCT/IB02/00812 filed Mar. 20, 2002.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A balance comprising a housing (1) with a bottom (6), at least
one display/operating unit (13), at least one cable (14) connecting
the at least one display/operating unit (13) to the balance, a
corridor compartment (24) arranged at the bottom (6) for storing an
unused length of the at least one cable (14), and at least one exit
opening (22, 29, 30) from the corridor compartment (24) for the
cable (14) to pass through, wherein the at least one
display/operating unit (13) can be placed adjacent to the housing
(1) as well as at a distance from the housing (1), and wherein the
corridor compartment (24) has a height that is sufficiently small
that the cable (14) is freely movable only horizontally inside the
corridor compartment (24) so that a required length of cable can be
pulled out of the corridor compartment (24) or an unused length of
cable can be pushed into the corridor compartment (24).
2. The balance of claim 1, wherein the corridor compartment (24) is
integrated in the bottom (6).
3. The balance of claim 1, further comprising guide elements (26,
27, 28) arranged in the corridor compartment (24) to guide the
cable (14).
4. The balance of claim 3, wherein the guide elements (26, 27, 28)
are configured as guide walls that are integrated in the corridor
compartment (24).
5. The balance of claim 4, wherein said guide walls are curved and
have shapes selected from the group consisting of hook shapes,
U-shapes, and S-shapes.
6. The balance of claim 1, further comprising a weighing-related
electronic circuit and a cable plug (23) on the cable (14) to
connect the cable (14) to said weighing-related electronic circuit
inside the balance.
7. The balance of claim 1, wherein the display/operating unit (13)
is connectable to the housing (1).
8. The balance of claim 1, further comprising an intermediate
member (10), which holds the display/operating unit (13) in place
on the housing (1).
9. The balance of claim 8, wherein the intermediate member (10) is
configured to be plugged into at least one of the housing (1) and
the display/operating unit (13).
10. The balance of claim 8, wherein the intermediate member (10)
comprises a flat portion (21) that is usable to carry
information.
11. The balance of claim 8, further comprising a first
emitter/receiver unit (43) arranged on the intermediate member (10)
and a second emitter/receiver unit arranged in the
display/operating unit (13), 60 that electronic signals can be
transmitted between the first and second emitter/receiver
units.
12. The balance of claim 1, (wherein the at least one exit opening
(22, 29, 30) comprises on each of at least two different sides of
the corridor compartment (24) at least one exit opening (22, 29,
30) for the at least one cable (14).
13. The balance of claim 1, wherein the at least one cable (14)
comprises a plurality of cables and the at least one exit opening
(22, 29, 30) comprises a plurality of exit openings, and wherein
the corridor compartment (24) is configured to accommodate said
cables so that each can be pulled out or pushed in through a
different one of said exit openings.
14. The balance of claim 1, wherein the corridor compartment (24)
has an underside covered by a bottom plate (32).
15. The balance of claim 1, wherein the at least one cable (14)
comprises a cable plug (15) at a cable end that is connectable to
the display/operating unit (13), and wherein the display/operating
unit (13) comprises a plug-in socket for the cable plug (15).
16. The balance of claim 1, wherein the display/operating unit (13)
can be set at an adjustable tilt angle.
17. The balance of claim 1, wherein the at least one
display/operating unit (13) comprises a plurality of
display/operating units that can be connected to the balance
simultaneously.
18. The balance of claim 2, further comprising guide elements (26,
27, 28) being configured as guide walls that are integrated in the
corridor compartment (24) to guide the cable (14).
19. The balance of claim 2, further comprising an intermediate
member (10), which holds the display/operating unit (13) in place
on the housing (1).
20. The balance of claim 19, wherein the intermediate member (10)
is configured to be plugged into at least one of the housing (1)
and the display/operating unit (13).
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a balance with a housing that is closed
off from below by a bottom portion. The balance also includes a
display/operating unit configured to be connected to the balance
through one or more cables, so that the display/operating unit can
be placed either adjacent to the housing or at a distance from the
housing.
Balances with display/operating units that can be placed separately
from the balance are in wide use, because they offer a high degree
of flexibility with regard to their set-up configuration. In
particular instances, the display/operating unit can be placed
close to the balance and also remote from the balance, mostly in a
configuration where the balance and the display/operating unit are
connected through a cable for the transmission of electrical
signals. It is desirable to always adjust the free cable length to
the required distance. The cables are therefore often attached to
the bottom of the balance, held on a cable reel or in a guide and
storage channel, which requires that the balance be turned upside
down or at least lifted up for winding and unwinding the cable.
A person-weighing scale is described in DE 31 01 224 A1, where the
display/operating unit can be set up separately from the scale, for
example attached to a wall. The display/operating unit has a
battery compartment. Between the battery compartment and the
outside wall of the housing, there is a free space in which the
connecting cable can be stored when the scale is not in use.
The German patent application DE 198 58 625 A1 discloses a balance
with a display/operating console that can be set at an adjustable
tilt angle relative to the balance housing as well as removed from
the balance housing, where the bottom portion of the
display/operating console contains a hollow space where the cable
can be wound up. The hollow space is covered from below by a bottom
cover panel. To adjust the cable length in accordance with the
desired distance between the balance and the display/operating
console, one only has to tilt the display/operating panel into a
vertical position, remove the bottom panel and wind or unwind the
required length of cable.
The state-of-the-art balances of the foregoing description have the
disadvantage that every time the equipment is rearranged or
relocated, a certain amount of manipulation is required in order to
adjust the connecting cable as needed. This may include tilting or
lifting the balance which can have an unfavorable effect on the
stability, or it may require unscrewing a bottom panel covering the
cable-storage space, and either winding or unwinding the cable.
OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention therefore has the objective to provide an
arrangement that allows the position or place of the
display/operating unit to be changed without having to perform
further manipulations in the balance or its display/operating
unit.
A balance which meets the foregoing objective in accordance with
the invention has a housing that includes a bottom portion, and it
further has a display/operating unit that is connected to the
balance through at least one cable. The display/operating unit can
be placed at the housing as well as remote from the housing. A
corridor compartment is arranged at the bottom of the housing for
storing the unused length of the at least one cable. The corridor
has at least one exit opening for the passage of the cable, and the
cable is freely movable inside the corridor by pulling or pushing
on the cable from the outside.
This balance has the special advantage, that the aforementioned
process of relocating the display/operating unit can be performed
with one hand. This applies to moving the display/operating unit
closer to as well as farther away from the balance housing. Since
the balance does not have to be moved in this process, the
stability of the balance is maintained. Any desired distance
between the display/operating unit and the balance housing can be
accommodated without a loose length of cable cluttering up the
workplace.
For example, if any of the material being weighed has been spilled,
the work surface can easily be cleaned by lifting the
display/operating unit with one hand. As a further advantage, the
display/operating unit can be separated from the balance housing
and thus can be packaged inside a more favorable volume for
transportation.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cable
storage corridor is integrated in the bottom compartment. The
corridor compartment preferably contains cable guide elements
configured as curved guide walls which are integrated in the
corridor, particularly in a hook-shaped, U-shaped, or S-shaped
configuration. The cable can be connected through a plug-in
connector to the weighing cell circuit inside the balance.
In a particularly preferred embodiment, the display/operating unit
is held on the housing by means of an intermediate member, which is
configured to plug into the housing or into the display/operating
unit. With this arrangement, the balance can be lifted up together
with the display/operating unit for the cleaning of the work
surface or to easily transport the balance to another
workstation.
The intermediate member has a flat portion on which information may
be printed or affixed. Alternatively, an emitter/receiver unit
could be attached to the intermediate member for a signal
transmission to and from another emitter/receiver unit that may for
example be attached to a display/operating unit. This concept
provides a maximum amount of flexibility in arranging the
display/operating unit and proves to be of particular advantage if
the balance is used in a protected setting, for example inside a
glove box, in which case the display/operating unit can be placed
on the outside.
In another embodiment, the cable corridor has at least one cable
exit on each of two or more different sides of the balance. As
another possibility, the cable corridor can be designed to
accommodate two or more cables, which can be pulled out or pushed
back through different exit openings. The cable corridor is closed
off at the bottom by a cover plate.
In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the at
least one cable has a cable plug at the cable end that connects to
the display/operating unit. The receptacle for the plug is arranged
in the display/operating unit, and the tilt angle of the display is
adjustable. It is also possible to have a plurality of
display/operating units connected to the balance.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Further details of the invention will become apparent from an
embodiment that is described below based on the drawings which
schematically illustrate possibilities to execute the inventive
concept, and wherein
FIG. 1 represents a perspective view of the balance with the
display/operating unit taken off;
FIG. 2 represents a side view of the balance with portions cut
away;
FIG. 3 represents an alternative design for connecting the
display/operating unit to the balance by way of an intermediate
member;
FIG. 4 gives a perspective view of a cable corridor formed in the
bottom space of the balance with the plug pulled out of the socket
connector of the electronic module;
FIG. 5 represents a perspective view into a cable corridor that is
formed in a bottom space of the balance, with the cable routed
through the exit opening at the front;
FIG. 6 represents a perspective view into a cable corridor that is
formed in a bottom space of the balance, with the cable pulled all
the way out through the exit opening at the front;
FIG. 7 represents a perspective view into a cable corridor that is
formed in a bottom space of the balance, with the cable routed
through the exit opening to the rear; and
FIG. 8 illustrates a bottom plate to close off the cable
corridor.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a balance that is surrounded by
a housing 1 in a configuration that is used, e.g., in an analytical
balance. Arranged in the rear portion 2 of the housing 1 are the
weighing cell (not visible in the drawing) and the weighing cell
electronics. The front portion of the housing 1 is taken up by the
weighing compartment 3, which has movable window panels that can be
opened and closed for placing the weighing samples on the weighing
pan 4. The housing 1 is closed off from below by a bottom 6. The
balance stands, e.g., on three feet 5, 5'. One of the feet 5 can be
seen protruding from the side of the rear portion of the balance
housing 1, preferably designed to be height-adjustable so that the
balance can be put into a leveled position. Another foot 5,
likewise height-adjustable for the leveling of the balance, is
located on the opposite side of the rear portion of the balance and
is not visible in FIG. 1. A third foot 5' (see FIG. 2) is arranged
below the weighing compartment 3 on the bottom 6. The bottom 6 of
the housing 1 is designed as a hollow space or compartment as will
be described in further detail below in the context of FIGS. 2 and
4 to 7. At the front side 7 of the housing 1 are two openings 8, 9
of the bottom compartment, where an intermediate member 10 can be
plugged in by means of two flat prongs 11, 12. The intermediate
member 10 serves to hold a display/operating unit 13 which can be
placed directly up to the housing or also in a remote position from
the housing. A connecting cable 14 with a plug 15, which provides
the electrical connection between the weighing cell electronics
inside the housing 1 and the display/operating unit 13, is seated
in the groove 38 on the intermediate member 10.
The display/operating unit 13 is designed with a slanted panel
surface 16 facing the operator and carrying operating keys 17 as
well as a display field 18. The underside of the display/operating
unit 13 is connected to a wedge-shaped base 19. The base 19 rests
on two feet 41 arranged at the end facing the user and on at least
two further support points arranged at the back end of the base 19,
so that the base stands firmly on the work surface. The support
points as well as the feet 41 can in addition be equipped with
polymer pads to secure the display/operating unit 13 against
sliding on the work surface.
FIG. 2 shows the balance from the side in a partially sectional
view. With its prongs 11 and 12, the intermediate member 10 is
plugged into the openings 8, 9 of the compartment in the bottom 6.
This is where the advantage of the two-part concept for the
display/operating unit 13 becomes apparent. The base 19, which has
an approximately H-shaped profile leaving an approximately
rectangular clear space 20 at the underside, is resting firmly on
the work surface. The flat portion 21 of the intermediate member 10
projects into the clear space 20, but leaves enough of a gap at the
top and bottom to allow a slightly tilted position of the flat
portion 21 in the clear space 20. Thus, the balance on the one hand
and the display/operating unit 13 on the other can both be in
stable contact with the work surface 13 independently of each
other, even though they are connected, and the balance can be
leveled without a change in the position of the display/operating
unit 13.
The display/operating unit 13 has a hinge 37 located above the feet
41. The upper part of the display/operating unit 13 can be tilted
on this hinge to adjust the slope angle. A detent mechanism 39
serves to lock the unit at the selected slope angle.
The cable 14, which is routed through the groove 38 into the space
between the two parts of the display/operating unit 13, is plugged
into a socket in the upper part of the display/operating unit 13 by
means of the cable plug 15. The cable 14 is routed through a
passage opening 22 (see FIG. 1) into the bottom space 6, which is
configured as a corridor compartment 24 through which the cable
continues to the cable end that connects to the balance. Another
connector plug 23 at the end of the cable 14 that is inside the
cable corridor establishes the connection to the electronics
associated with the weighing cell (not shown in the drawing). The
corridor 24 is preferably designed with a flat profile so that the
height of the bottom portion 6 of the balance is not increased any
more than necessary. The height of the corridor 24 is determined on
the one hand by the thickness of the cable and on the other hand by
the requirement that the cable 14 must not be allowed to bend in
the vertical direction.
Another design possibility for the connection of a
display/operating unit with an intermediate member 10 is shown in
FIG. 3 in a three-dimensional view. A connector wedge 40 is
connected to the intermediate member 10 in the same manner as was
described for the wedge-shaped base in the context of FIG. 2.
Arranged on the topside of the connector wedge 40 are elongated
holes or sockets 42 that may serve for the direct mechanical
attachment as well as for the electrical connection between the
connector wedge 40 and the upper part of the display/operating
unit. As an alternative, it is conceivable to arrange an
emitter/receiver unit 43 on the connector wedge 40, through which
electronic signals are exchanged with a display/operating unit that
may be placed farther away, possibly configured as a hand-held unit
and likewise equipped with an emitter/receiver unit.
FIG. 4 gives a perspective view from below into the cable corridor
24 formed in the bottom compartment 6 of the balance and also shows
a cable 14 unplugged from the connector socket of the electronic
module. As a protection against dust, the access opening 31 to the
weighing cell electronics can be closed with a cover 25. The cable
14 enters through the groove 44 into the corridor 24. Arranged
along the corridor are different curved guide walls 26, 27, 28,
each of a special shape, for example hook-shaped, U-shaped, or
S-shaped. The purpose of the guide walls 26, 27, 28 is to guide the
cable 14 which is freely movable along the corridor 24, so that
when the cable is pulled out of or pushed into the corridor 24,
different portions of the cable will not be in contact with each
other, which could cause the cable to become stuck due to an
excessive amount of friction, so that it could be neither pulled
out nor pushed back into the corridor compartment. The guide walls
further prevent the cable 14 from buckling. The curved guide walls
26, 27, 28 are arranged in such a manner that they allow a highly
flexible arrangement of the cable 14 in regard to the exit location
of the cable from the corridor 24 either through the exit opening
22 at the front side, the exit opening 29 at the backside, or the
exit opening 30 at a lateral location of the cable corridor. The
hole 45 in the bottom serves for the passage of a
force-transmitting link for weighing procedures where the sample is
suspended below the balance.
FIG. 5 represents a perspective view from below into the bottom
compartment 6 with most of the cable 14 pushed back into the cable
corridor 24 and exiting at the frontal opening 22. FIG. 6, in an
otherwise identical view, shows the cable 14 mostly pulled out of
the frontal opening 22, while FIG. 7, in an analogous view, shows
the cable 14 exiting at the rearward opening 29 and partly pulled
out. The three figures illustrate the flexibility in the
arrangement of the cable 14 inside the corridor 24 by means of the
curved guide walls 26, 27, 28. As a result, there is a high degree
of freedom in the placement of the display/operating unit 13 in
relation to the housing 1. The display/operating unit 13 can be
placed directly at the housing 1 as well as in a remote position in
front, to the side, or in back of the housing 1, with a choice of
cable exits 22, 29, 30 available for the remote positions. The
cable 14 is in each case pulled out of the cable corridor 24 to the
required length. The display/operating unit 13 can be repositioned
with one hand by either pulling the cable 14 out of the corridor 24
if the display/operating unit is moved farther away from the
housing 1 or, if the distance is reduced, by pushing the cable 14
into the exit 22, 29, 30 so that it glides back into the cable
corridor 24. If the display/operating unit is to be coupled or
uncoupled from the housing, the flexible arrangement of the cable
14 proves to be an advantage in that the cable becomes easy to
handle by simply pulling a short cable length out of the cable
corridor 24.
The flexible concept for placing the display/operating unit 13 has
the particular advantage, that the display/operating unit 13 can at
any time be disconnected and exchanged by another display/operating
unit by simply unplugging the cable 14 by means of the connector
plug 15. This also simplifies the cleaning of the work surface
under the display/operating unit 13.
The cable corridor 24 can be closed off at the underside with a
bottom plate 32, which is preferably fastened by four screws
extending through the holes 33 into the internally threaded posts
34 (see FIGS. 4 to 7). The bottom plate 32 has two detent springs
35 that snap into recesses 36 in the flat prongs 11, 12 (see FIGS.
1 and 3) to hold the intermediate member 10 in place. This secure
attachment of the intermediate member 10 allows the balance to be
lifted off the work table together with the display/operating unit
13 that is positioned on the intermediate member 10, for example by
means of a grip handle on the balance as described in EP 1 195 585
B1. As another possibility, the display/operating unit 13 can also
be moved together with the intermediate member 10 in order to
relocate both to a different place. As a third possibility for
handling the balance, a user could also leave the intermediate
member 10 plugged into the balance housing 1 and remove only the
display/operating unit 13.
The flat portion 21 of the intermediate member 10 can also be used
to carry printed or graphic information, for example a short
version of the operating instructions or an instruction for
performing a certain frequently used weighing procedure. This could
also be realized through a folded leaflet connected to the flat
portion 21. In order to read the information, the user of the
balance only needs to take the display/operating unit 13 off the
intermediate member 10.
The cable corridor 24 can also hold two or more cables 14, which
are routed to different exits 22, 29, 30. The different cables can
be used as alternative connections, or there could also be two of
the display/operating units 13 or connector wedges 40 connected
simultaneously to the balance. It is also conceivable to connect
one of the cables 14 directly to a computer.
List of Reference Symbols 1 housing, balance housing 2 rear portion
of the housing 3 weighing compartment 4 weighing pan 5, 5' feet 6
bottom, bottom compartment 7 front side 8, 9 openings 10
intermediate member 11, 12 prong 13 display/operating unit 14 cable
15 cable plug 16 topside 17 operating keys 18 display field 19 base
20 clear space 21 flat portion 22 frontal exit opening 23 connector
plug 24 corridor 25 cover 26 curved guide wall, hook-shaped 27
curved guide wall, U-shaped 28 curved guide wall, S-shaped 29
rearward exit opening 30 lateral exit opening 31 access opening to
the electronics 32 bottom cover plate 33 holes 34 internally
threaded posts 35 detent springs 36 recess 37 hinge 38 groove 39
detent mechanism 40 connector wedge 41 feet of the
display/operating unit 42 elongated holes or sockets 43
emitter/receiver unit 44 groove 45, 45' hole
* * * * *